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In my house, July is Tour de France month. So much so that we even planned a trip to
France a few years ago. Scheduling (and
my dislike of lots of people in close quarters in hot weather) meant that we
traveled in June, not July, but hey, I’m not complaining!

Anyway, the Tour de France is a sporting event like no other
I can think of. I’m not athletically
inclined, so please correct me if there’s another event which requires: Over 2,000 miles. In 21 days.
Over mountains. On a bike. In the summer. In France.
Ooh la la!

Sound grueling? Who
would subject themselves to such extremes?

Or does it sound familiar? Long hours, training, supreme focus
on success, passion. Sounds a lot like
entrepreneurship to me!

This is no ordinary event. These guys ride about a hundred
miles a day! For over three weeks! These guys know a thing or two about doing whatever
it takes to succeed**

Teamwork is key.
Biking is a team sport. By riding
in the wind of another rider, you can save up to 30% of your energy. Thirty percent! Think of what you could do with an extra 30%
of effort in your biz! Get some support
for your biz, so you don’t have to do the heavy lifting all by yourself! A virtual assistant, web designer, graphic
designer, bookkeeper, or coach can all help support you and your biz! Only have the resources for a quick fix? Most can give you a half or full VIP day to
get you on the right track.

Equipment matters.These bikes, helmets, apparel, etc. are all designed to maximize efficiency, to
get to the top faster with reduced effort.Your business tools should do the same.

Hardware – smart phone, tablet, computer,
printer/scanner all need to be reliable and fast.Get things fixed if they’re not working as
they should be, or replace them if they’re not the right tool in the first
place.Talk with an IT pro for ideas on
the most cost effective way to get what you need (repair v. replace).For instance, I just found out that you can
install a PC chip on a Mac laptop, so you can run both windows & mac on the
same machine.Wish I had known that
before I splurged on a windows laptop.

Software – use cloud-based services to maximize
your time.Use www.timetrade.com for having people make
appointments with you.Use Aweber or
MailChimp for your newsletter automation.Use QuickBooks to invoice and keep track of your finances.With www.leadpages.net
you can easily set up lead pages for your latest product or launch.I’ll be reviewing an option for paperless
receipt management (the bane of all entrepreneurs) in the coming weeks.Your equipment should make you more efficient
at getting clients, getting cash, and getting on with your life.

There is more than one winner every day. In the Tour de France, there is more than one
way to get noticed every day. Best time
(yellow jersey), best mountain climber (red polka dot jersey), best young rider
(white jersey), to name a few. Every day
is a new day, and a fresh chance to make an impact, regardless of what happened
the day before. Some categories you
could use for your business:

Daily cash – obviously, this is the mother of
all prizes that all entrepreneurs strive for.

Daily sales calls/closing rate – maybe you
didn’t bring in the cash today, but you’ve booked your calendar for the next
week with sales conversations. The cash will follow the sales conversations.

Social engagement – if you’re rocking it online,
engaging with your online audience, that is certainly something to be proud of!

Decisive action – the faster you decide, then
act on your decision, the faster your business will grow. How many decisions did you make today?

Lastly, if you’re going to put yourself through
all this, make it pretty. Not that the
riders have a chance to stop and smell the lavender in Provence, but I bet it
smells great when they fly by at 40 MPH.
France is gorgeous. Your work
space should be too. This doesn’t mean a
super fancy or expensive desk setup, but office supplies in your favorite
colors will be sure to brighten your mood and increase your productivity. Personally, I love these sticky
tabs from The Container Store. The
colors really speak to me, and I can move notes from one file to the next, as
needed. Check out See Jane Work as well for gorgeous office
supplies.

Enjoy the last of the Tour de France this weekend, when they
cycle through the streets of Paris. You can get in the spirit with some of France's finest gastro delights - fromage & champagne. Bon Apetit!

**Including some not-so-ethical things which we are not
going into on this post. Let’s focus on
the positive and inspiring things we can learn from these incredible athletes.